


Forever home

by StrangeNoise



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Birthday Presents, Comedy, Misunderstandings, Otis POV, Otis is eating, Pet Adoption, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:00:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29288718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrangeNoise/pseuds/StrangeNoise
Summary: The story of how Otis the turtle became Captain Allen's pet...
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Forever home

It was a Wednesday morning like any other at the Detroit central pet store and Otis the turtle was munching on the last slice of tomato left over from his breakfast when he heard voices at the entrance and then footsteps coming closer. In came Dolores, his favorite employee, with three young people – one woman and two men – in tow. Knowing from experience that they were probably on the way to the guinea pigs that were kept in cages not too far away from Otis’ home, the turtle only lifted its head for a second before returning to its breakfast. But, surprisingly, the party stopped in front of the terrarium and suddenly four pairs of eyes were on Otis. 

“This is Otis”, Dolores said with a fond smile and waved at him, “He’s three years old and can have a bit of a temper but if you keep him fed, he’s a very sweet little guy.” Otis nodded along to what Dolores said and it caught the attention of the woman.

“Look, he thinks so too”, she said and laughed, then knelt down to get a closer look at Otis, “What a cute little guy.” Otis rolled his eyes and bit into his slice of tomato extra ferociously on the next bite to show the lady that he was no “cute little guy” but a fighter and a force to be reckoned with. The woman seemed undeterred, though, smiling and cooing at him as if he were a pet rabbit. 

“Is his temper something a first-time turtle owner could deal with?”, one of the men, a blond guy with thick glasses, asked. Dolores nodded eagerly.

“Of course, of course”, she assured the group with a smile, “Most turtles are a little special, but Otis is comparatively tame. I would be cautious around children but an adult or an older teen should be able to handle him just fine.” 

The three younger humans looked at each other with questioning looks on their faces.

“And you’re sure Captain Allen said he wanted a turtle?”, the woman asked, looking at the second man. Otis raised his head at that. “Captain” sounded important. Maybe a pirate wanted him as a pet. That seemed exciting. 

“I heard him say it”, the brunet said with a sure nod and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“And if we bought this turtle”, the blond man began, looking at Dolores, “What else would we have to buy so the birthday person doesn’t have to buy all the supplies on their own?”

Dolores rattled off a list and led the group away and through the rest of the store, leaving a confused Otis behind. It had been a long time since anyone had asked to buy him and he wasn’t sure what to make of this situation. After all his siblings had been adopted last year, he had gotten quite used to life as a king in his own terrarium, getting to eat all the food he could stomach and being doted to by Dolores. He didn’t mind being adopted per se, but if he had to share his home with anyone, he would probably rebel.   
Still, Otis wasn’t convinced those young people were actually going to adopt him. Many people had come to look at him and gone again and Otis had stayed behind.

But soon after, he heard them leave again and Dolores hurried back to his terrarium.

“Otis, my dear, you’re finally getting your forever home!”, she told him excitedly, clapping her hands and smiling brightly. She went on to tell him that the group would come back next week to pick him up and that he would be a birthday gift for a very nice man. When she left, Otis continued to chew on the rest of his tomato thoughtfully. He would surely miss Dolores but a forever home sounded exciting too. Especially if his owner was a captain. Maybe he would get to live on a ship or something like that…

The following week passed quickly and after a heartbreaking goodbye from Dolores, Otis found himself in a small, dark box with holes in it. It wasn’t his favorite mode of transport but at least the humans had left some salad in there for him. Every once and again one of them would open the box and look inside to make sure Otis was doing well. And, all in all, Otis didn’t have to stay in the box for long.  
He was carried somewhere, where it was nice and warm, and then placed on a surface, still inside the box. Then, it was quiet for a few minutes.

“You didn’t have to get me anything”, he heard a man say after a while and then footsteps coming closer. 

“The best captain ever deserves a birthday gift”, the woman Otis already knew insisted and several male voices agreed. 

“It’s what you wanted. I heard you talk to Captain Jordan”, the brunet man said.

A moment later, the lid on the box was lifted and Otis found himself face to face with another human. He was several years older than the ones he had met before, had dark hair, and a face with sharp features. He did look like an authority figure but not like the pirate captain Otis had imagined. 

“You got me…a turtle?”, the man asked, confused as he looked from Otis to the other humans and back.

“You told Captain Jordan you wanted a turtle!”, the brunet man insisted, suddenly flustered. Otis’ new owner looked at him, confused, for several long moments, then burst into laughter.

“I said I wanted a turtle _ neck _ ”, he explained, and the people around him groaned at their brunet friend, “I wanted a shirt, not a pet.”

While the humans began clamoring and talking over one another, Otis lowered his head. Here he had been thinking he had finally found his forever home. Now it was probably just a matter of minutes before he was put back in the box and returned to the pet store. It would be nice to see Dolores again, at least, but Otis couldn’t deny now that he had been excited to live somewhere else. 

Then, a careful finger landed on his head and pet him a little awkwardly. Otis looked up, and the captain smiled back at him.

“It’s not what I asked for, but I’ve been wanting a pet for a while now”, he said thoughtfully, “I was thinking more of a cat or a guinea pig, but I think a turtle will be a fine companion too, right, little guy?”

Otis clacked with his jaw in agreement, ecstatic to learn he wasn’t going to be returned to the pet store after all. He even let the captain continue to pet his head, even though he usually didn’t like that too much. 

“His name is Otis”, the young woman said, “At least that’s what the lady at the pet store told us. But I’m sure you can rename him.” At that, Otis hissed at her. He had been Otis for three years now, and he wasn’t going to change that. The captain watched him hiss and laughed.

“I think he prefers to stay Otis”, he commented, “That’s fine by me. I’m awful at coming up with names either way.” 

With that settled, the humans brought forth the supplies they had bought for their captain so he could take good care of Otis. The turtle was pleased with the sight of the large terrarium and the tons of food and decoration they had purchased. He would live just as comfortably as he did back at the pet store. 

For now, however, he had to stay in his box a little longer, until the captain had finished work and could take him home. Otis wasn’t too upset about it. The man kept him on his desk, talked to him occasionally, and shared the carrot sticks he ate as a snack with Otis. Later that day, when they finally returned home and his new owner set up the terrarium, Otis watched carefully so the man wouldn’t make any mistakes.

By the time he was finally set into his new home, Otis was tired out from the excitement of the day. He looked at his new owner one last time, who knelt in front of the terrarium and watched him with a fond smile on his face before Otis retreated to sleep. As skeptical as he had been earlier, Otis was now convinced that he had found the perfect forever home and that he and the captain would become best of friends. He had not expected it at first, but now, Otis was well and truly happy.


End file.
